China expelled two high-ranking military officers from the ruling Communist Party on Monday (September 21, 2026), state media reported, months after it was announced they were being investigated for “serious violations of the law”.
The announcement fit into the sweeping anti-graft drive that has defined President Xi Jinping’s time in power — but Zhang’s fall from grace in particular shocked observers, given his seniority and the perception he was close to China’s leader.
However, the Defence Ministry said in January that Zhang and the second officer, Liu Zhenli, were “suspected of serious violations of discipline and the law”, a common euphemism for corruption.
Earlier reporting noted: The probes into charges against Zhang and Liu were announced in January and both were removed from the state Central Military Commission in late August, according to the Reuters report. Zhang was formally detained by military corruption investigators in the same month.
Top officials meeting in Beijing on Monday (September 21) “decided to expel” the two men from the Communist Party and transfer their cases to the military’s legal organs “for review and prosecution”, Xinhua said. An investigation found Zhang and Liu had “become disloyal to the Party… and crossed red lines” by engaging in a list of offences including forming cliques and accepting huge sums of money for personal gain, Xinhua said. Monday’s (September 21) decision “reaffirms the firm position that… there is absolutely no place for corrupt elements to hide within the military”, Xinhua said. Earlier reporting noted: It said that the pair had “crossed red lines and basic limits”, adding that their “political and economic wrongdoings were intertwined, and corrupt self-enrichment coexisted with dereliction of duty and abuse of office.”
Earlier reporting noted: The decision was made and formally approved at a Politburo meeting chaired by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday, state media reported.
